Three or four years ago, Helen (my mother-in-law), had given us a fertility doll. After she had 3 kids in grade school, a friend had given it to her. Within weeks, she was pregnant with her youngest son, Dave. So, I guess she was giving us the hint to give her a grandchild.  Unfortunately, my biological clock stopped right about that time.  The doctors said, "Sorry.  You're at the end of menopause.  Little to no hope of a baby."  So, everyone (including us) had given up on us ever having a child.  SURPRISE!

THE DREAM

A week before Thomas was conceived, I had a very vivid dream.  You know the kind - where you remember every detail and emotion the next day.  In my dream, I had just given birth to a baby boy!  The biggest emotion I felt during the dream was the immediate love I had for the baby.  I couldn't believe how much I loved him so instantly.  The second emotion was surprise.  He was huge!  The nurses told me he was 24" inches long.  And, he had very solid muscles.  Think Bamm-Bamm from the Flintstones.  I also remember looking at his hair - it was mustard blonde; and his  eyes - they were going to be gray when fully developed.  

Now remember - at this point in my life, the doctors had told me I was at the end of menopause and any remaining eggs were too pooped to make my clock tick anymore.  A baby was not something to be expected.

TELLING TOM (the daddy)

One Sunday morning after my clock HAD sputtered and ticked a few times, I decided to take a pregnancy test.  Imagine my surprise when it didn't "act" like the other pregnancy test had.  So, I didn't believe the positive results.  After church, I purchased another test.

That afternoon, Tom kept complaining he was bored.  He wanted to know how I was going to entertain him.  At the time, I was trying to nap on the couch, so I told him to be quiet.  He wouldn't.  So, I told him I knew a way to entertain him, but he'd have to give me a minute.  I went and took the second pregnancy test.  It was positive too. 

Years ago before my clock had stopped and we were thinking about having a baby, I had bought a "Congratulations on the New Baby" card.  It had been sitting in the bathroom cupboard waiting to be used.  So, I wrote Tom's name on the envelope and inside wrote, "Congratulations dad!  You did it!"  I also included the positive pregnancy test stick.  I then handed it to Tom and said, "Here you go.  This will entertain you."

After Tom opened and read the card, he said, "I don't get it."  I just looked at him.  Then I said, "What is it?"  And, he replied, "It's a baby card, but I don't get it - who is it for?"  In amazement, I shot back, "Whose name is on the card?"  And, he said, "My name."  YES...  "But, I still don't get it.  What's the card for?"  In exasperation, I asked, "What else is in the card?"  He replied, "A pregnancy test."  YES...  He still sat there looking at me.  I think the truth was finally starting to dawn on him.  "Do you mean...  Seriously?!"  Two more pregnancy tests later (for a total of 4), it was confirmed - we were pregnant.  So, you see, no one was more surprised than we were.

TELLING THE FAMILY

Remember that fertility doll I said my mother-in-law had given us years earlier?  Well, I had been waiting A LONG time to give it back to her. At the end of September, I planned a surprise 40th birthday party for Tom (yes, we ARE very old, first-time parents!) at his folks' house. Tom thought we were going to dinner with his parents and would tell them the good news at dinner. So he was surprised when the entire family jumped out and yelled "happy birthday."

After Tom opened all his birthday cards, he had a gift bag. Inside was a wish fairy. Tom had been firmly instructed in his part of this, so he knew to read out loud what the wish fairy's sign said. The Wish fairy told him he got one wish and one wish only for his birthday. He was to think of one and look inside of the fairy to see what he would get (she came apart in the middle with a secret compartment). Inside was a piece of paper that said someone else had thought of a wish first, and that Tom was out of luck. They would get their wish and he'd have to wait until next year. The fairy then instructed him to give the gift wrapped box to his mom, who was the person who had made the wish first.

And, inside the box was the fertility doll. It had a sign (that fell off when she opened the box), that said, "I've done my job. They don't need me anymore."